Written questions by Heylings.

Whether she plans to introduce legislation to make it an offence to fail to report a road traffic incident in which a cat is struck and killed; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending existing legal requirements for reporting collisions involving certain animals to include cats.

There are no plans to amend section 170 of the Road Traffic Act to make it mandatory for drivers to report road collisions involving cats. Although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation. Since June 2024, all cats in England over 20 weeks of age must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database, unless exempt or free-living. This will make it easier for National Highways and local authorities to reunite cats with their keeper.

Whether the Government plans to introduce additional regulatory or statutory oversight to control air pollution on major public transport hubs, including the London Underground; and whether it intends to place specific statutory duties on bodies such as Transport for London to comply with the Air Quality Standards Regulations and the Environment Act 2021 in enclosed transport environments.

The Mayor of London and Transport for London are responsible for the management of air quality on the London Underground. However, the Government remains committed to improving air quality to deliver benefits for public health, the environment, and the economy. We are committed to cleaning up our air and protecting the public from the harms of pollution by tackling air pollution across the transport network. There are currently no plans to introduce additional regulatory or statutory requirements on major public transport hubs.

With reference to the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants’ recommendation in 2019 for a comprehensive toxicological study of particulate matter on the London Underground, what the current status of that study is.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). The Department has regular discussions with TfL on a range of issues, however, the management of air quality on the London Underground is a matter solely for them. I would suggest that you contact the Mayor and TfL directly regarding this issue.

What discussions she has had with TfL on progress implementing the interventions identified as urgent in the UK Chief Medical Officers’ Annual Report 2022, including improvements to ventilation and filtration systems on the London Underground; and what assessment has been made of their effectiveness to date.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). The Department has regular discussions with TfL on a range of issues, however, the management of air quality on the London Underground is a matter solely for them. I would suggest that you contact the Mayor and TfL directly regarding this issue.

With reference to the UK Chief Medical Officers’ Annual Report 2022, what specific actions the Government is taking to help address the public health risks arising from exposure to air pollution on the London Underground.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). The Department has regular discussions with TfL on a range of issues, however, the management of air quality on the London Underground is a matter solely for them. I would suggest that you contact the Mayor and TfL directly regarding this issue.

What discussions she has had with Transport for London on interim measures it is currently implementing on the London Underground to reduce passenger exposure, including that of children and clinically vulnerable groups, to particulate matter concentrations that substantially exceed ambient outdoor air levels.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). The Department has regular discussions with TfL on a range of issues, however, the management of air quality on the London Underground is a matter solely for them. I would suggest that you contact the Mayor and TfL directly regarding this issue.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring the installation of dynamic roadside electric vehicle charging pricing totems, including on the functioning of the market, the level of competition, and the potential impact on consumers.

The Department for Transport has not made such an assessment.  However, Government is modernising electric vehicle charging signage on major A-roads. Changes now allow larger electric vehicle charging hubs to be signposted from major A-roads. We are also working with local authorities to make it easier to provide signage to and about charging facilities on local roads and to ensure drivers have the best possible information at the roadside.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the availability and quality of facilities for HGV drivers, including secure parking, welfare facilities and overnight rest areas; and what assessment has she made of the implications of the current provisions for driver welfare.

The HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme (MFGS) was launched in 2022 to fund investment in: HGV driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security, and decarbonisation. The scheme is supporting truck stop operators across 30 counties in England. Through the MFGS the Department and industry partners are projected to deliver up to £35.7m of joint investment to enhance truck stops across England. This significant investment is in addition to joint investment by National Highways and industry of up to a further £30 million, aimed at improving lorry parking facilities along the strategic road network. The National Survey of Lorry Parking, which was published on 29 September 2022, is the Department for Transport’s primary evidence base on the availability of HGV parking facilities. The survey showed an average shortage across England of around 4,500 HGV parking spaces for the month of March 2022 and identified driver concerns with the quality of welfare facilities and security of lorry parks. A further National Survey of Lorry Parking is planned for 2026.

Whether she is taking to protect motorists from facing increased motor insurance premiums following a non-fault road traffic accident.

Motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer and decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Drivers need to declare incidents that they are involved in, regardless of who or what was at fault. However, we know that the majority of motorists are responsible and law abiding, but not unreasonably, they and other road users want to see law breaking dealt with, to make all our communities safer. As part of the Road Safety Strategy, we have published a consultation on reforms to motoring offences, including lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales and introducing tougher penalties for driving without insurance or without a licence.

What steps she is taking to ensure her Department's consultations comply fully with the Gunning Principles in the future.

The Department, its executive agencies and arm’s-length bodies publish a large number of consultations and calls for evidence. The Department conducts consultations in line with the Government Consultation Principles. These state that consultations should last for a proportionate amount of time. The length of any consultation is decided based on legal advice and taking into account the nature and impact of the proposal. Consultations and calls for evidence are accompanied by other forms of engagement with the public and stakeholders. The Department always aims to publish government responses to consultations in a timely fashion, in line with the Government Consultation Principles, and to keep stakeholders updated on progress.

What steps she has taken to recover the 6120 missing responses from the Railways Bill consultation; and what steps she is taking to ensure the integrity of the consultation process for future consultations.

The Secretary of State has written to the Transport Select Committee on this issue, a copy of which can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50296/documents/271772/default/. We have no evidence of other consultations being affected and are taking all steps necessary to ensure our suppliers prevent a recurrence. This includes reviewing our email filtering system logs for all open consultations and seeking separate external assurance on the configuration of our replacement filtering system.

What the freight throughput was in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) passing through Felixstowe port in the most recent 12 months for which data are available; and how many and what proportion of those TEUs were transported out of the port by rail by destination distribution centre in the same period.

Container throughput passing through Felixstowe port in the calendar year 2023 was 3.246 million TEU. Source: DfT Port Freight Statistics 2023. Data for the 2024 will be published 30th July 2025.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6698eaf1fc8e12ac3edaff36/port0203.ods The Department for Transport does not periodically collect data on hinterland movement of freight from seaports and therefore cannot provide the proportion of TEU that was transported out of the port by rail by destination distribution centre in the same period.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for an older person's bus pass to include people over the age of 60 in England.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.However, local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources. The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority have been allocated £10.5 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available.

What steps her Department is taking to improve road safety for to e-bikes to reduce the number of injuries involving e-bikes.

Everyone who cycles, whether they are riding an e-bike or a conventional pedal bike, has a duty to behave in a safe and responsible matter and must follow the rules set out in the Highway Code. E-bikes can only be ridden legally on public roads where they comply in full with the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983. These Regulations are there to ensure the safety of e-bikes both for the riders and for other road users. The enforcement of any offences relating to cycling is a matter for the police, and the Government is providing the police with more powers to make it easier to seize any vehicle, including an e-bike, where it is being used in an anti-social manner. Measures contained in the Crime and Policing Bill will allow the police to seize the vehicle without first being required to provide the rider with a warning. This will help get dangerous and unsafe e-bikes off our roads for good.

What steps she is taking to prevent foreign lorries without adequate safety features using UK roads.

All lorries using GB roads must meet safety standards. The Driver and vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) conduct enforcement of this, including roadside checks. DVSA use data and intelligence to target those vehicles that present the highest risk to road safety. Where vehicles do not meet standards, they are prohibited from continuing their journey until the defects are fixed and until any penalties are paid.

What assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) cost-efficiency of pothole repair strategies in South Cambridgeshire constituency.

Cambridgeshire County Council is the local highway authority for the South Cambridgeshire constituency. Cambridgeshire is a member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA). It is the responsibility of individual highway authorities to maintain and improve their networks, based upon their local knowledge, circumstances, and priorities. For the 2025/26 financial year, this Government is providing CPCA with £37.4 million for highway maintenance, an increase of around £10.3 million compared to 2024/25. Funding is not ring-fenced, and it is a matter for local authorities to determine how the money is best spent. As of Monday 24 March, the Department has written to all local highway authorities advising them that 25% of their uplift in maintenance funding is contingent on them demonstrating to Government that they are complying with certain criteria aimed at driving best practice and continual improvement in highways maintenance practice. All authorities will have to publish information online and share information with the Department. The Department will assess the information provided by Cambridgeshire County Council in due course.

Whether she plans to increase the active travel budget.

The Government has already increased the active travel budget by £100 million for 2025/26 compared to 2024/25. On 12 February, the Government announced the details of almost £300 million of funding for active travel in 2024/5 and 2025/6. This will help local authorities to provide high-quality and easily accessible active travel schemes across England and will enable more children to walk and cycle to school. Decisions on funding for active travel from 2026/27 onwards, as well as on other areas of transport expenditure, will be taken as part of the Government’s Spending Review.

What steps she is taking to improve road safety for vulnerable road users.

The Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.

What progress her Department has made on improving accessibility of railways; and (a) when and (b) how new projects will be identified under the Access for All funding scheme.

Since April 2024, step free upgrades at 13 stations have been completed, with a further 18 due to be completed by April 2025. This will be the most stations completed in one year since the programme started in 2006. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities. We will shortly provide an update to MPs and other stakeholders on our approach to the Access for All programme.

What steps she has taken to review the effectiveness of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme for facilitating the travel of wheelchair users to education and work.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations would need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. The Department has conducted a review of the ENCTS and we are considering next steps.